


Because It's The Humorous

by prongsno



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blackdonald, F/M, Fluff, Marauders, Marauders' Era, Sirius Black Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-22 07:04:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11962230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prongsno/pseuds/prongsno
Summary: Sirius can't sleep. Mary's worried.prompted by @solitudeontatooine on tumblr!





	Because It's The Humorous

At first she thinks he’s just a trick of the light. It’s dark in the common room, and the moonlight reflected through the old windows looks a little eerie. It’s only when her foot slips and she ends up tripping on the step, alerting him so he lifts his head in astonishment to see what all the racket is, that she realises he’s real.

“Why are you up so late?” Mary asks, taking in the dark bags under his eyes. It seem to make his wonderful light grey eyes appear even darker. 

He raises an eyebrow, cocks his head to one side and stares at her with half a crooked smile. “Why are you on the floor, MacDonald?”

“There’s this thing called gravity, you see…” 

When he lets out a little laugh she cracks a smile and stands, dusting off her dressing gown. His smile seems to light up the room, even if it’s not as genuine as it should be.

A proper Sirius Black chortle makes your insides flutter because his eyes brighten, his smile is wide, elated with no constraints and it’s so contagious that you’re bending over backwards howling. 

She can sense something’s up the moment she sees him there, cooped up in one of the big armchairs. He looks small, fragile. Surrounded by pillows and soaking up the last of the fire’s heat, he has his legs brought up to his chest.

He seems… lost in himself somehow. She’s parched, so thirsty that her throat is scratchy and sore. But looking at him like this, she can’t just leave.

“Sup?” She stands there, hands in her pockets as she decides her next move. Would it be rude to just plop down next to him? 

“Nothing.” He’s holding onto one of the cushions tightly, pulling at a loose thread. He’s clearly lying, she remembers Potter saying one time how bad he was at twisting the truth. 

“This week feels like its taking forever, it’s only Wednesday.” Calmly, she makes her way over to the seat opposite him and jumps onto it, tucking her feet under her. 

“Yeah.” His voice is distant, he doesn’t even look at her as he talks.

 He just stares through the window, eyes soaking in the moonlight. He lets out a small sigh, stretches his neck and finally glances over to her. 

It’s unnerving, the look he gives her. He’s not being rude, but his attitude is slightly odd. 

“Why are you up so late?” 

“Lily’s snoring. The entire dorm is like an orchestra right now and I’m such a light sleeper I couldn’t handle it any longer.”

Bingo! He smiles slightly and shakes his head, running a hand through his messy hair. “God, James is the same. As soon as his head hits the pillow he’s completely out.” 

“I’ll have to rummage through my witch weekly’s and see if there’s a spell to shut them all up. Would make my nights much more bearable.” 

He nods and hums. Then there’s just the crackle of the fire. An owl hoots outside and Mary itches her nose. 

Silence just makes her body itch. She can’t stand it. And she’s never heard Sirius so quiet before. 

“Hey.” There’s a fleeting second where he has panic in his eyes. She knows he thinks she’s going to ask him about what’s wrong, he’s so easy to read sometimes. “Have you ever wondered why the funny bone is called the funny bone?” 

One of the things she loves about Sirius is that he loves to smile. He has a beautiful smile, and he loves to show it to the world. So when she notices his lips pull she feels elated. 

“Because it’s the humorous.” 

“Damn you already knew that one!” 

He shakes his head, biting his tongue. “MacDonald, I think everyone and their grandmother knows that one.” 

The next wave of silence is a little more comforting, he has a soft smile that stays for a number of minutes before it naturally fades. 

She twiddles her thumbs. 

“Oh hey, want a biscuit?” 

“You carry biscuits in your dressing gown?” 

She gives him a look that says  _‘and you don’t?’_  before taking a packet of ginger snaps out of her pocket. She pops one in her mouth before flinging one across to him, screaming out “THINK FAST!”. 

His hands are out in an instant, flailing to try and catch it but he misses and the biscuit hits him right in the eye.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Her mouth is still full, she has crumbs all over her lips and chin but she falls out of the chair in a hurry.

“It’s fine, I’m fine.” 

But suddenly she’s crouching down in front of him, her fingers shadowing his face to check if he’s really hurt. Her eyes are wide, cheeks a little blushed as her hand twitches. Then she touches the corner of his eye softly.

“Ow.” 

“Sorry.” She’s whispering, she doesn’t really know why. He’s right in front of her, staring at her through alarmed eyes. 

“You know, I thought you had to have good aim to be on the Qudditch team.”

It takes her a few seconds to grasp he’s saying something because she’s just been staring at him, completely lost in his eyes. 

Her heart rate quickens and she can feel the adrenaline rushing through her as he moves one of his legs slightly and it brushes against her arm. 

“I’m a seeker, not a goalie.” 

“Keeper.” 

“Whatever, goalie sounds so much better.”

“Except you don’t make goals. You keep the quaffle from scoring, hence  _keeper_.” 

“But it’s a goal not a keep. Anyways, I heard from Potter that you were going to try out next year.”

He shifts his leg again, she feels like she’s on fire. 

Should she stand? They’re rather close.

 She’s pressing against the chair, back curved so she’s facing him close. When he blinks she can see the moonlight reflecting in his eyes.

He clears his throat. “Yeah, maybe. So?”

“So…” Now she stands, she feels wobbly on her toes but she doesn’t trust herself near him right now. “If you want to be a beater don’t you need to have good aim and be a good catcher?” 

“I do.” 

“That ginger snap doesn’t agree.” 

 Fifty seven seconds later they somehow find themselves standing across the room, ready to have a ginger snap tossing contest. 

“Ready to lose, Black?” 

“It’s on MacDonald.” 

Three minutes later there are crumbs everywhere and Sirius stands the clear winner. He has three biscuits in his mouth, his eyes are dancing and he flexes his arms at her in that obnoxious ‘the winner takes it all’ way. 

She snorts, but she’s laughing and exhilarated. 

“You have a nice smile, Black. I like it.” 

One minute later he’s smiling, feeling happy and free for the first time that night. He’s breathing heavily, laughing and spluttering as they fall onto the sofa like lead. 

He wants to say thank you, he wants to take her hand and show her how much this means to him. But she’s there smiling at him and the words get lost at the tip of his tongue. He’s never felt this way before. He’ll thank her someday, when he finds the words. When he’s able to speak his heart out and not worry about someone getting too close. 

When it’s just him and her.


End file.
